|
|
|
THE
BIBLE
It
seems a shame to me that the Bible is portrayed as an enemy to homosexuality.
What concerns me most is that when the Bible is used to preach against
homosexuality, then we of the gay and lesbian community lose faith in the
scriptures and stop looking to the them for inspiration, help, and connection with God. So
much confusion and guilt has been placed upon GLBT people because of what’s been
taught and mis-taught from the Bible. The Bible is a collection of books
from varied writers in a time and setting far removed from today. So to
read the Bible as the literal word of God just does not work. I see the
scriptures as containing much truth. Timely truth - for a particular
people in a particular place and time... and Timeless truth - words for
all people in all times and places. John 3:16 'For God so
loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.." is an example of
timeless truth. When you open your scriptures, Let God speak to you
personally, because He truly is the Living Word. And His Spirit can uplift
you and draw you to Him as you look to Him in these sacred writings. If
the Bible is to be read literally, then most people today do not follow all of
its teachings. For instance, the Bible teaches that men who shave their beards should be put
to death. And women are not permitted to speak in church, or wear cotton or
polyester. The writings contained in our scriptures were written by
ancient peoples who dwelt in tents and who thought the world was flat.
They had no idea of sexual orientation and the word 'homosexuality' did not even
exist. Out
of all the Old Testament passages, only two make any real reference to
homosexual acts; Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13. Both of these
passages are a part of the Levitical holiness code which is not kept by any
Christian church today. That's because the code was written for a
particular people in a particular time and place. It doesn't make sense to
try and keep the same rules today. So if the holiness code was 'timely'
scripture, then why should the homosexual reference in it be used as a
'timeless' scripture? Perhaps
the Old Testament scriptures were trying to condemn the act of rape and other
acts of sex that were not love based. This is certainly how I would read
the story of The
Bible has several examples of same-sex love. David's love for Jonathan was
said to exceed his love for women. Ruth's relationship with Naomi is certainly
an example of a deep, bonding love. The Bible does value love between persons of
the same sex. Paul's
statement in Romans 1:18-32 has been taken as the strongest New Testament
rejection of homosexuality. He is concerned about the influence of pagan
culture on the Roman Christians. Most scholars today believe that Paul was
referring to homosexual temple prostitution which was performed by various
cults. And when he refers to women leaving their natural affections to be
with other women, I think he was speaking about heterosexual women.
Because I know that if I was to leave my natural affections then I would end up
being with a man! Paul's
other reference to homosexual acts is in 1 Timothy 1:8-11. Again, I don't
think Paul is referring to same-sex love, and he clearly has no idea about those
for whom this lifestyle is "natural". In
my opinion, none of these passages refer to same-sex orientation, but to
those who used sex for personal gain. Isn't
it strange that if homosexuality is such a giant evil in the world, our
Lord never once spoke about it. Instead, he spent his time on the real
issues of love and justice. The ones who were condemned by Him were those
who sought to abuse their position and power for personal gain.
Jesus shows us, through his actions and his words, that God is concerned about
not who we love, but how well we love. This is why, in God's eyes, there
is no bond or free, no Jew or Gentile, no gay or straight... We are all ONE in
Christ Jesus. So
please don't throw the baby out with the bath water. The Bible is a
precious jewel that can enrich our understanding of, and relationship with, our
Heavenly Parent. Don't let the scriptures gather dust on your bookshelf.
Feast upon the words and let God's spirit guide you in all things. Pastor Sue Palmer
|